Can You Give Imodium To A Dog For Diarrhea?

3 Answers

There are several things that can cause a dog to get diarrhea. These could include infections, eating any foreign objects, food allergies, parasites and indigestible foods. Electrolyte or dietary changes could also be a cause, along with ingesting salmonella or E Coli bacteria. A dog can ingest these through licking trash or contaminated food. Whipworms, hookworms, roundworms, and coccidia can also cause diarrhea. Fuels, cleaning solvents and pesticide chemicals are also culprits.

The first thing you have to do in treating the diarrhea is to stop feeding your dog for at least 24 hours. Make sure your dog drinks lots of fresh water to avoid dehydration. Check the stools of your dog to find out if the condition is relieved through fasting after the 24 hours. If not, contact your vet. If the stools contain blood or are black, or if your dog strains to defecate or has a fever, is vomiting, or is lethargic then you must take your dog to the vet.

There are specialized diarrhea medications for dog diarrhea such as Pepto Bismol and various others. Regular over the counter diarrhea treatments that humans use can be used, for example Imodium. These should all be used only on strict instructions of your vet. The dosage for Imodium (loperamide) will be 0.2 ml/mg strength at 1 ml for every 4 pounds up to three times per day, or one normal strength tablet at twelve hour intervals.

The trick to diarrhea is in removing any underlying cause of the gastrointestinal distress. A change in your dog's diet could be one way. Try putting your dog on a low-impact rice and chicken diet and then gradually introduce them to simple, high quality dry foods and see if they tolerates them. If your dog is prone to getting diarrhea, relief might be offered with a simple diet.

Yes, you can give Imodium to your dog for the management of diarrhea but remember, this drug will not treat infection causing diarrhea. Dose of Imodium in dogs is 0.08 mg per Kg body weight for 3-4 times in a day or one capsule of 2 mg for the dogs with weight more than 10 Kg. Below 10 Kg weight, Imodium should be given in liquid form.

Please note, no medicine should be given to any pet without consulting a vet because drugs can be toxic for the animals.